Vibratory finishing



March 8, 1966 R. w. MOORE 3,238,674

VIBRATORY FINISHING Original Filed Feb. 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ljgfi.

INVENIOR Ralph WMbore March 8, 1966 R. w; MOORE VIBRATORY FINISHING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Feb. 13, 1964 [Ll I INVENTOR Ralph WMoore United States Patent 3,238,674 VIBRATORY FINISHING Ralph W. Moore, Hagerstown, Md., assignor to The Pangborn Corporation, Hagerstown, Md., a corporation of Delaware Original application Feb. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 344,763, now Patent No. 3,163,967, dated Jan. 5, 1965. Divided and this application Oct. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 401,002

1 Claim. (Cl. 51-163) This application is a divisional application of copending application Serial No. 344,763, filed February 13, 1964, now US. Patent No. 3,163,967 granted January 5, 1965; which in turn is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 168,146, filed January 23, 1962, now US. Patent No. 3,163,966 granted January 5, 1965; which in turn is also a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 4,908, filed January 27, 1960, now US. Patent No. 3,063,207 granted November 13, 1962. This application is also a continuation-in-part of the aforementioned copending application Serial No. 168,146, filed January 23, 1962, now US. Patent No. 3,163,966 granted January 5, 1965.

This invention relates to vibratory finishing, more particularly the type of vibratory or gyratory finishing suitable for treatment of work pieces of metal or the like for the purpose of deburring, descaling, cleaning, polishing, burnishing, rounding corners and edges, etc.

The use of vibration or gyration for the above purpose has been known for some time. However, machines built for these purposes have been relatively complicated and cumbersome as well as somewhat awkward to use when adapted for variable loading.

Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of novel equipment and techniques for the above type of finishing that simplifies the handling of widely varying loads and reduces the cost of such treatment.

The above as Well as additional objects of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of several of its exemplifications, reference being made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view partially in section of an apparatus representative of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view partially in section of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detail of a modified gyration support for the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is another detail illustrating an optional base construction of the apparatus of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of another optional base construction.

According to the present invention the vibratory finishing apparatus has a container for the work articles, and vibrating structure connected to gyrate the container which is resiliently mounted on the supporting base. The resilient mounting includes a plurality of air cushion feet on which the base stands. The air cushions of the feet are protected by encircling telescopic tubes. One of the tubes is secured to the base so that it moves with the base, while the other tube is secured to the floor.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a vibratory treatment apparatus having a generally troughshaped container 500 held on a table 520 as by means of bolts 14 through the table top sheet 522. Feet 550 secured as by welding to the underside of the container provide convenient flat surfaces at their lower portions for engagement against the table top 522. The table is vibrated by means of a shaft 18 having an eccentric weight 521 secured thereto and journalled between bearings 524 and 526 rigidly attached to the table as by means of the plates 533 and 534 welded to the underside of the table. Skirts 531 and 532 depending from the side edge of the table and also fastened to the table by welding, help to ice greatly increase the rigidity of the connection to the vibrating drive. The eccentric weight can be replaceably attached to shaft 18 as by bolts so that different weights can be used for modifying the magnitude of vibration.

The air cushion support is shown as provided by upper and lower flanges 518 and 544 secured against the inner surfaces of the sheets 504 and carrying horizontally extending shelves 514 that are received between the flanges of supporting sheets 504 that encircle the table. Sheet 522 of the table is joined to the flange 518 below it by an air cushion 42, and is also similarly joined by an air cushion 40 to the flange above it.

FIGS. 1 and 2 employ a tilt framework 538 made of a pair of traverse channel beams secured to and connected by side sheets 504. These side sheets have flanged longitudinal edges for added stiffness and are bent inwardly near their lower portion to further increase their rigidity and protect the interior somewhat against splashing from the floor. The outer faces of the beams 502 are covered work container. The shelves extend short distances longi-.v

tudinally of the apparatus and then terminate in vertically disposed flanges 516, 518. The flanges 516 at the outer ends of the shelve-s extend upwardly while the flanges 518 at the adjacent ends of the shelves extend downwardly. All flanges as well as the bodies of the. shelves are welded to the side sheets 504.

Upon the lower air cushions the work table 520 rests. The top of the table is a flat sheet 522 and it is rigidified by a grid of reinforcing plates 531, 532, 533 and 534 welded to its lower surface. Plates 533, 534 extend transversely and have central passageways in which are' received the bearings 524, 526 of the vibrator shaft. Around these passageways strengthening rings 528 can be secured. The bearings are preferably encased as shown with leak-tight covers sealed against the vibrator shaft with wiper-type seals as at 540. The bearings are also supplied with lubricant as by a conduit connected to a convenient reservoir which can be observed readily to make sure a lubricant supply 'is available and also that lubricant is being consumed. A check of the bearing temperatures is also desirable and this can be provided by a thermocouple also connected to a convenient measurement location.

The jackshaft '74 is secured by bearings 542 fastened to the underside of a channel-shaped mounting plate 544 welded to the intermediate panel 508 and projecting through a suitable passageway in that panel. Where upper air cushion supports are used for the table they can be appreciably smaller than the lower air cushion and can be secured to the top of the table offset from the lower cushions in a longitudinal direction such that the upper cushions are closer to each other than the lower cushions, as shown in FIG. 1. Removable brackets 545 can be bolted to the side sheets 504 to hold down the upper cushions and permit them to be readily removed, as for example when the table 520 is to be replaced. For shipping purposes bolts 546 can be fitted through holes in the air cushion shelves 514 and threaded into the table, with spacers slipped between the shelves and the table to clamp the table against movement. Two such bolt this purpose.

The work container of FIGS. 1 and 2 has strengthening ribs 548 welded to its external side surfaces and also has its feet 550 strengthened by gusset plates 552 welded over the open ends of the feet, preferably in the plane of the ribs 548. A further set of aligning bosses 553 can be formed along the longitudinal center of the container bottom, and they can be provided with aligning pin openings that match up with aligning openings in the table top.

The framework can merely be a generally rectangular combination of channels carrying a pair of opposed reinforced sheets to which flanges are welded, which may in turn be pivotally held by stub shafts 50 projected from opposite ends of the framework. Journals 52 carried by piers 54 receive the stub shafts and permit the entire framework, including the table and container, to pivot as for the purpose of unloading work articles from the container. The piers 54 can be directly secured to a floor such as a rigid concrete slab, and can also be tied together by a brace 523, in the form of a tube. Either or both of the piers can also be used as an anchoring for a tilting mechanism which in the illustrated embodiment is a pneumatic cylinder 58 pivoted directly at its lower end to a bracket 60 held by the piers, and having a movable piston rod 62 connected to jack-shaft 50 by a bell crank 64 which can be secured to a collar 66 keyed to the shaft. This tilting can also be hydraulically, mechanically or electrically actuated, if desired.

It is helpful not to rely on the air cushions holding the work container when it is tilted to unloading position. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, mounting clips 554 are afiixed to the side sheets and each has two arms holding a resilient tube 556 so that it is only slightly spaced from the side of the work container and does not interfere with its gyration. Pins 558 extending through the arms support the tubes 556, and the tubes can be made of rubber, either natural or synthetic, as well as of resilient plastic such as nylon. Two such tubes will adequately support the work container when the tilt frame is tilted. The air cushions permit the tilted container to lean against the supporting tubes without unduly stressing the cushions. At the same time the supporting tubes do not interfere with the simple lifting out of the work container when it is to be replaced.

In order to protect the apparatus against spillage around the top of the container, a cover 560 is fitted over the entire top of the tilt frame. The cover has a cut-out opening 562 through which the work container projects and this opening is shown as smaller than the area covered by the lip of the work container so that the lip overhangs the cover around its entire periphery. Turnedup flange 563 around the entire opening further assures that anything dropping on the cover will not be in a position to run into the interior of the tilt frame. down margins 564, 566, 568, 570 on the cover fit over the corresponding margins of the tilt frame and the cover can be conveniently secured in a readily removable fashion as by means of a hook 572 pivoted to panel 506 at 574 and provided with an operating handle 576. With this arrangement the entire equipment can be hosed down very conveniently and thereby kept very clean.

The cover can also be used as a height indicator for the work container. Adjustable pointer 580 can be secured to cover flange 563 for this purpose and can cooperate with a scale 582 fixed to the adjacent side of the work container. For the longest life of the flexible coupling between the jackshaft and vibrating shaft, these should be aligned as closely as possible and variations in loading of the work container as Well as pressure in the cushion supports, will change the vertical position of the vibrating shaft. The indicator will serve as a convenient guide for the purpose of adjusting the height of that shaft so as to match the position of the jackshaft. The adjustment can also be made automatic as by having a Turned- 4 combination cushion inflating valve and cushion deflating valve connected to respond to vertical movement between the work container or table, and the cover or other convenient portion of the tilt frame. The height-sensing device can merely be a pair of electrical switches positioned one above and one below the margin of the table in such a manner that upward movement of the table closes the upper switch and downward movement of the table closes the lower switch, The switches can in turn be connected to operate the valves so that upward movement of the table will cause the lower cushions to deflate and downward movement of the table will cause them to inflate. Alternatively the height control can be applied to the upper cushions or to both the upper and lower cushions.

A feature of the construction of FIGS. 1 and 2 is the flat top character of its vibrating table. With such an arrangement the work container can be removed and replaced by any other type of equipment that is desired to be vibrated. Also a perfectly flat top is a simple matter to machine with high accuracy so that one container can be replaced by another without any special fitting required.

The air cushions of the present invention can be constructed in different ways. They can for example be in the form of pneumatic cylinders with movable pistons as in the tilt cylinders referred to above. Such an air cushion has practically no resilient structural elements. The air cushions can also be of all-resilient construction, as by making them of hollow balls of resilient material such as rubber or plastic, and mounting the balls between spherical sockets on the table and tilt frame anchorages. Balls of this type can be cemented or vulcanized in their sockets, or they can be fastened there by bolts extending through the wall of the ball to its interior where they can be threaded into inserts. The air cushions can also have combinations of resilient and non-resilient elements in forms other than those illustrated, but the illustrated construction is preferred because it is simple to manufacture, assemble, use, and maintain.

The air cushions can also be used to suspend the container. By having such cushions effectively above the container, and no supports effectively below the container, the container is suspended in such a way as to gyrate effectively when actuated by any of the vibrating drives referred to above. In this type of combination the ball type cushion is very suitable inasmuch as it easily withstands the tensions developed by the suspended load. Pneumatic cylinders connected between the container and a support are also suitable for such suspended service, particularly when the connections are ball-and-socket joints that allow practically unrestrained gyration.

According to the present invention, air cushions can be used in conjunction with conventional spring supports. By way of example, a container supported on the usual combination of coil and leaf spring mounts, can have a set of air cushions effectively above the container and holding it down with a controllable force. Adjusting the pressure in the cushions can then vary the downward force and thereby adjust the height of the container. This will simplify the construction as well as prolong the life of a flexible drive connection or the like.

Any mechanical spring such as a block of resilient rubber can be used in place of the coil and leaf springs of the foregoing combination.

The air cushions can be of relatively simple construction such as indicated in above-mentioned US. Patent 3,063,- 207 having an upper :cup and a lower cup of rigid material such as metal, with a flexible open ended tube of a material such as rubber or rubber impregnated fabric, connecting them together, the respective ends of the tube being secured in the individual cups. To facilitate this securing the lips of the cups can be turned in, and the ends of the tube molded with an outward flare that mates with the turned-in lips. These tube ends can also be pro;

vided with a beading of metal or the like to more securely hold them in place. The central portions of the tube can also be molded with at least a small enlargement so as to assure proper positioning when the cushions are deflated. The cups can also be equipped with a suitable fitting 96 such as shown in FIG. 3 to provide a connection to the interior of the cushion and receiving an air line such as conduit 98.

A single main air supply can, for example, be conveniently mounted on the piers 54 and connected by separate adjustable pressure reducing valves to the lines 98, 101. The same air supply can also be used to operate tilting cylinder 58.

As pointed out above, when the air cushions are supplied in pairs above and below the container table, they need not have the individual cushions of each pair directly opposed. These cushions can be offset, if desired, and this offsetting is helpful in simplifying the mounting of the cushions. The additional air cushions used for supporting the base of the apparatus can be identical with the cushions illustrated in the figures, or they can be different in size and/or shape. The cushions used to support the table, or the container where a table is omitted, can also be varied in size and shape and where pairs of cushions are used in the individual cushions of each pair need not be identical. FIG. 3 shows an offset pair of table-supporting air cushions 40, 42 each of different size, in the general arrangement of the construction of FIGS. 1 and 2.

It i's'preferred that the cushions be protected from mechanical damage as by mounting them internally of the outer walls of the machine.

FIG. 4 shows a base support in which an air cushion 301 is fitted between the foot 303 and the bottom of pier 54, and is surrounded by and spaced from an inner sleeve 305 standing up from the floor. The top of the inner sleeve carries a rubber bumper strip 307 and the sleeve itself is surrounded by an outer sleeve 309 depending upon the bottom of the pier.

Another air cushion support for the apparatus of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 4. In this construction the dual tube arrangement of FIG. 5 is used along with a clamping device to secure the components in place while the apparatus is being shipped from one location to another. For this purpose a set of spaced lugs 311 is secured as by welding to the outer tube and studs 313 extend through apertures in the lugs and threadedly engage a plate 315 to which the lower tube is fastened. If desired, this threaded engagement can be with nuts 317 welded to the top of the plate. Removable nuts 319 on the studs can then be threaded on the studs and engaged against the upper faces of the lugs to effectively clamp the upper tube to the lower tube. In clamped condition the apparatus can be crated and shipped without fear that the base air cushions will become disengaged from their mountings.

FIG. 5 also includes a resilient pad 321 under the bottom plate 315 of the base. This pad which is conveniently a rubber sheet, makes up for minor irregularities in the floor 322 upon which the base rests and provides much better vi ra i n th e r nsmi q f the vibrations to the floor. The pad need only be a inch thick slab of tough rubber such as is used in automobile tire tread, preferably with waffied or dimpled faces. If desired, thicker rubber slabs can be used, and the rubber can be natural rubber or any synthetic rubber such as butadiene-styrene rubber, butyl rubber, neoprene or the like. The pad 321 can have one or more perforations aligned with corresponding perforations in base plate 315 so that a wire or the like can be threaded through the perforations to hold the pads in place during shipment of the apparatus. Alternatively, the pads can be cemented in place.

To keep from damaging the pads or the floor, the fasterners used to hold the air cushion 301 in the supports of FIGS. 4 or 5 to the base plate should not project below the lower surface of the base plate. Flat head or other suitable flush-fitted or countersunk screws 324 can be used for this purpose, and can be threaded into blind nuts fitted within the air cushion.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of'the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claim the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed:

An apparatus for subjecting work articles to vibratory finishing treatment, said apparatus having a support base, a work container resiliently mounted on said base, means connected to said work container for gyrating said container, said base having a plurality of air cushion feet upon which it stands, a telescopic tube arrangement protecting each of said air cushion feet, each of said telescopic tube arrangements including'an outer tube secured to said base and depending therefrom, whereby said outer tube moves along with said base, an inner tube mounted within said outer tube and spaced therefrom, said inner tube having a tubular wall and a foot, a respective air cushion secured to the foot within said inner tube, said air cushion being spaced inwardly from said inner tubular wall, said inner tube being longer than said outer tube to prevent the telescopic collapse of said tubes, and a non-metallic resilient bumper being mounted on the top of said inner tubular wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,076,071 4/1937 De Bolt 24822 2,447,712 8/ 1948 Nathan 248--22 2,770,434 11/ 1956 McNally 24822 2,823,882 2/1958 Ross 24821 2,997,814 8/1961 Brandt 51163 3,008,703 11/1961 Slemmons et a1. 267--1 FOREIGN PATENTS 51,002 9/ 1941 Netherlands.

ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner.

HAROLD D, WHITEHEAD, LESTER M. SWINGLE, Examiners, 

